Unsilenced
Women's Stories of Resilience of Sexual Harassment
Project 2023-1-BE02-KA210-ADU-000160137
Unsilenced is a European co-funded project inspired by the #MeToo movement of United States.
Through this project we aim to amplify the voices and experiences of victims of sexual harassment and sexual violence across Europe and to offer a platform to share experiences. While advocating for a safer environment for women and girls of all ages.
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Understanding women's perspectives and giving them a voice and a platform still remains challenging across many European countries. In such situations, compassion can be scarce, and women are frequently exposed to shaming and blaming.
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Unlike the #MeToo movements that have been taken place mostly by celebrities, with Unsilenced, we aim to reach the rest of the population and give them voices.
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Reports indicate that more than one in four (1/4) Europeans have experienced harassment, with significant numbers of physical attacks and psychological impacts reported. The FRA emphasizes the need for better support and reporting mechanisms for victims.
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The economic cost of gender-based violence:
In 2021, gender-based violence across the European Union was estimated to cost around EUR 366 billion a year. Violence against women makes up 79% of this cost, amounting to EUR 289 billion
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Victim blaming attitudes:
They are societal attitudes that suggest victims provoked the attack by their behaviour, clothing, or actions. Such attitudes are prevalent across different cultures and significantly impede justice by discouraging victims from reporting incidents and influencing the public perception of sexual violence.
The below is a report on victim-blaming attitudes in Europe:
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We invite both women and men to unite to increase awareness about the issue that affects our friends, spouses, daughters, and sisters far more frequently than many realize.
Events
Debate and Discussion panel : What is victim blaming, how can we change this, how can we unite to advocate for change
A discussion panel on the topic of victim-blaming is held with experts working in the field of gender equality and sexual harassment. This is inspired by how women treat other women when they share their stories of sexual harassment. Our goal is to bring awareness to its harmful consequences associated with wrongly accusing the victim in these situations. This can be damaging to mental health, often leading to anxiety, depression, shame and even fear. The discussion panel will be recorded and posted online, reaching a wide audience.
Date: 6 June | Location: Elzenhof, Brussels, Belgium at 19:30 - 21:00
Photo - Audio interactive exhibition
Photographs are taken of the women we interview both in Belgium and Greece. This gallery aims to do justice to these women’s stories by sharing them with a wide audience, respect their privacy with the use of pseudo names and turn their experiences and emotions into empowerment and art. This exhibition will run for one month.
Date: 6 June | Location: Elzenhof, Brussels, Belgium 18:30 - 19:20
Vernissage (opening) with drinks and snacks
"What were you Wearing?" - Clothes Exhibition for victim blaming
In addition to the audio-photo exhibition, there is a clothing exhibition of "What were you wearing?" It challenges the myth that what a person wears contributes to the likelihood of sexual harassment. A collection of clothes is displayed along with accompanying testimonies on sexual harassment experiences. This exhibition will run for one month inspired by the #MeToo movement in the United States, we aim to build a community dedicated to raising awareness of the prevalence of sexual harassment in Europe.
Date: 6 June | Location: Elzenhof, Brussels, Belgium
Project Partner
Active Citizens from Athens/Greece
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Active Citizens Partnership is an NGO based in Northeastern Greece and in Athens. We have extensive experience designing and supporting programs that address contemporary training and social needs at national and European levels. With the assistance of the State and the European Union have developed measures to prevent and tackle social problems and assist vulnerable groups. We provide a high-quality service and develop and operate innovative activities.
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Associate Partners
GC Elzenhof
Flemish cultural and community centre of the Brussels' commune of Elsene.
PUNT vzw
Results
June 6th Event Video
See the Unsilenced Playlist: youtube.com/watch?v=XKmYvtSElLs&list=PLHV14PU2JGf3ohkTPkUTID7_fxhKliYWO&pp=iAQB
Unsilenced Podcast:
This project will deliver the following results in Brussels and Athens on separate dates with the same goal, with stories collected from a different part of Europe.
1. A non-facial photo gallery of the victims,
2. A “What were you wearing” exhibition (inspired by the University of Kansas, Dr. Jen Brockman)
3. A discussion debate evening about “victim blaming”
4. A Spotify account with the stories shared to be recorded (the stories from the gallery will also be found on Spotify to be able to interact with the gallery)
5. YouTube recording of the June 6th event which was turned into short-form content for social media.